Article of headwear

ABSTRACT

An article of headwear includes a headwear body defining an opening, a connecting unit including first and second connecting elements disposed on the headwear body in proximity to two opposite sides of the opening, respectively, and a hair tie including an elongated elastic strap spanning the opening, a third connecting element connected detachably to one of the first and second connecting elements, and a fourth connecting element connected detachably to another one of the first and second connecting elements. The third and fourth connecting elements are interlockable with each other to form the elastic strap into a ring.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Taiwanese Patent Application No. 100221049, filed on Nov. 08, 2011.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an article of headwear, more particularly to an article of headwear capable of fastening hair together.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional cap 900 is usually designed to have an adjusting element 910 at a side opposite to a bill for a user to adjust fitting of the cap 900 onto her head. For a user who has long hair, she usually has her hair tied up into a pony tail using a hair band 920 when exercising or under hot weather. However, when the cap 900 is worn, the hair band 920 is usually located near the adjusting element 910 such that it is inconvenient for the user to adjust the adjusting element 910. Further, during adjustment, the hair band 920 may easily fall off from the user's hair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an article of headwear that includes a headwear body and a hair tie connected to the headwear body for fastening hair together.

According to the present invention, an article of headwear comprises a headwear body defining an opening, a connecting unit including a first connecting element and a second connecting element disposed on the headwear body in proximity to two opposite sides of the opening, respectively, and a hair tie including an elongated elastic strap spanning the opening, a third connecting element provided on one end of the elastic strap and connected detachably to one of the first and second connecting elements, and a fourth connecting element provided on another opposite end of the elastic strap and connected detachably to another one of the first and second connecting elements. The third and fourth connecting elements are interlockable with each other to form the elastic strap into a ring.

Preferably, the article of headwear further includes a bill extending outwardly from a bottom edge of the headwear body opposite to the opening. The first and second connecting elements are located in proximity to a bottom edge of the headwear body. The first and third connecting elements are configured as male and female snap buttons. The second and fourth connecting elements are configured as male and female snap buttons.

The advantage of the present invention resides in that, when a user wears the article of headwear of this invention, her hair can be tied using the hair tie, so that practicality and convenience of the present invention can be enhanced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a user wearing a conventional headwear with her hair tied into a pony tail;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an article of headwear according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a user wearing the article of headwear of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating an adjustable strap interconnecting with a connecting unit of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates the user wearing an alternative form of the article of headwear of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates the user wearing another alternative form of the article of headwear of the preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 7 illustrates third and fourth connecting elements of the hair tie of the preferred embodiment being interlocked to form an elongated elastic strap thereof into a ring.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, an article of headwear 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is configured as a cap, and comprises a headwear body 1, a bill 12, a connecting unit 2 and a hair tie 3.

The headwear body 1 in this embodiment is configured as a crown of the cap, and defines an opening 10 for extension of user's hair therethrough.

The bill 12 extends outwardly from a bottom edge of the headwear body 1 opposite to the opening 10.

The connecting unit 2 includes a first connecting element 21 and a second connecting element 22 disposed on the headwear body 1 in proximity to two opposite sides of the opening 10, respectively.

The hair tie 3 includes an elastic strap 30, a third connecting element 31 provided on one end of the elastic strap 30, and a fourth connecting element 32 provided on another opposite end of the elastic strap 30. In this embodiment, the elastic strap 30 spans the opening 10, and has a length longer than a diameter of the opening 10 to facilitate the user to tie his/her hair. The first and third connecting elements 21, 31 are configured as male and female snap buttons. That is, the first connecting element 21 is the female snap button, and the third connecting element 31 is the male snap button. Alternatively, the positions of the male and female snap buttons may be interchanged. The second and fourth connecting elements 22, 32 are configured as male and female snap buttons. That is, the second connecting element 22 is the male snap button, and the fourth connecting element 32 is the female snap button. Alternatively, the positions of the male and female snap buttons maybe interchanged. Through this configuration, the third connecting element 31 can be connected detachably to the first connecting element 21, and the fourth connecting element 32 can be connected detachably to the second connecting element 22. When a user with long hair wears the cap 100, he/she can tie his/her hair using the hair tie 3 after pulling his/her hair out of the cap 100 via the opening 10. Hence, the user can easily manage his/her hair.

It is worth noting that, in this embodiment, the elastic strap 30 is elongated such that the third and fourth connecting elements 31, 32 can be respectively disposed at two opposite ends thereof and can be connected to the headwear body 1, so that the integrity of the cap 100 can be maintained. Further, other interlocking method may be used between the first and third connecting elements 21, 31 and between the second and fourth connecting elements 22, 32, for example, male and female Velcro fasteners, etc. Moreover, the first and third connecting elements 21, 31 and the second and fourth connecting elements 22, 32 may use two different groups of fasteners.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the article of headwear 100 is configured as a sun visor, and the headwear body 1 is configured as a head strap which extends around the head of the user. Further, the connecting unit 2 is similarly disposed on one side of the headwear body 1 that is opposite to the bill 12 so that the hair tie 3 can be connected to the headwear body 1 through the connecting unit, thereby achieving the effect of the present invention.

In another alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the article of headwear 100 is configured simply as a head strap to suit the needs of different users. Moreover, referring to FIG. 7, since the third connecting element 31 and the fourth connecting element 32 of the hair tie 3 are respectively male and female snap buttons, the third and fourth connecting elements 31, 32 are interlockable with each other to form the elastic strap 30 into a ring. As such, the hair tie 3 can be detached from the headwear body 1 to be used separately.

On the other hand, the headwear body 1 can be connected to other components through the connecting unit 2. As shown in FIG. 4, an adjustable strap 4 has a fifth connecting element 41 and a sixth connecting element 42 respectively disposed on two opposite ends thereof so as to connect with the first and second connecting elements 21, 22, respectively. The adjustable strap 4 al so has interconnected male and female Velcro fasteners 40 between the fifth and sixth connecting elements 41, 42 to allow the users to adjust according to the size of their heads.

In summary, the article of headwear 100 of the present invention uses the connecting unit 2 to connect the hair tie 3 to the headwear body 1, so that after the user puts the article of headwear 100 on his/her head, he/she can directly tie his/her hair into a pony tail using the hair tie 3. Hence, practicality and convenience of the present invention can be enhanced. Therefore, the object of the present invention can be realized.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of headwear comprising: a headwear body defining an opening; a connecting unit including a first connecting element and a second connecting element disposed on said headwear body in proximity to two opposite sides of said opening, respectively; and a hair tie including an elongated elastic strap spanning said opening, a third connecting element provided on one end of said elongated elastic strap and connected detachably to one of said first and second connecting elements, and a fourth connecting element provided on another opposite end of said elongated elastic strap and connected detachably to another one of said first and second connecting elements, said third and fourth connecting elements being interlockable with each other to form said elongated elastic strap into a ring.
 2. The article of headwear of claim 1, further comprising a bill extending outwardly from a bottom edge of said headwear body opposite to said opening.
 3. The article of headwear of claim 1, wherein said first and second connecting elements are located in proximity to a bottom edge of said headwear body.
 4. The article of headwear of claim 1, wherein said first and third connecting elements are configured as male and female snap buttons.
 5. The article of headwear of claim 1, wherein said second and fourth connecting elements are configured as male and female snap buttons. 